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Varsity football Kicks off a great season

Varsity football kicks off a great season

By Francisca Pascua

 

PHHS Varsity football closed off their final game at home with a score of 21-48 on senior night against Lincoln on Fri., Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. The Varsity team has kicked off a spectacular season, carrying a tight record of 4-5 in the league.

Prior to the Nov. 2 game, the team went head to head with Leland High School in which they started off strong but were touch downed by a sly tackle from Leland.

“The last game was a tough fight until the very last second. They had a really smart game plan that kept our offence off the field and from scoring more points,” admitted senior Middle Line Backer Ian Nguyen on the game.

For most of the players, this season has been a challenge but at the same time very rewarding.

“This season for me and my team has been a struggle, but we maintained to stick together as a family and fight through it and we do the best we can to defeat our opponents,” said senior Wide Receiver Caiphus Ardoin.

However, this game was not the end for the Pirates. Despite losing the match, the team kept their helmets straight, their heads in the game and hoped to win the following game.

“We prepare by going out as a team out eat to make sure we’re nice and energized then go in the locker room and get game ready with some Sheck Wes music,” explained Ardoin.

“We have one day dedicated to watching film on the previous game to improve how we run plays. We have two full padded practices where we hit and go through offense and defense,” added Nguyen.

Physical skills alone are not enough to win a game but also the psychological aspect of the player can help them achieve their goal.

“I can improve on my attitude and as a team we need confidence,” said Ardoin.

Attitude and confidence are the key to not only beating the opponent, but it also affects the atmosphere of the plays.

The Varsity team fell short again at home. Coincidentally the lost occurred on senior night, a special night where the close-knitted team commemorated and recognized each other as players and individuals. Senior night accommodated for the devastating defeat.

“This season has been a roller coaster. Lots of ups and downs and I love being able to play for and with my brothers. I’ll miss being able to play such an amazing sport with all of my best friends,” said Nguyen.

Consequently, after the home game, the players participated in the CCS (Central Coast Section) playoffs, a 3 game competition bracket in which a team annihilates every opponent in order to seize the championship trophy.

“This is important because we are given an opportunity to play at least one more game and to be able to fight for our chance to be champions,” said Nguyen.

On Nov 3, the team participated in their first CCS game in which they were placed in 3rd and have two more games to go.

“It is important for me because this is a game I love and enjoy playing with my brothers and I’ll go all out for them. I’ll miss having fun out there on the field with my teammates and coaches,” added Ardoin.

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JV Football charges to their season’s end in Friday Night Lights

By Drew Olaviano

 

The PHHS Pirates JV Football team played their last regular home game against the Leland Lions on the football stadium in Nov. 2, 4 p.m.

With the team’s tough loss against the Lions at 14-21 during the senior night, Friday Night Lights, their overall record came to a close at 5-4.

The Pirates’s game against Leland started off well with both teams kicking off to 7-7. The Pirates were able to advance their score, and by halftime the Pirates led by a seven point lead at 14-7.

After halftime, however, the Pirates fell short. Despite the lack of scoring from both teams, the Lions pulled a breakthrough. The Lions scored quickly against the Pirates during fourth quarter. They led the entirety of the fourth quarter with the result of 14-0 and it was clear that the Lions finished the game with a tough loss for the Pirates.

The Pirates have lost, however, despite the tough loss and fallouts throughout the entire season with injuries and overall team plays, there are still high expectations for the next season.

“Overall season, I mean, it was difficult, but I think it turned out pretty good. I mean, we came together at some point, but there (are) times where we (lose) and where we kind of played individual football, but it still worked out at the end. We put our best, the end result was the end result,” said Outside Linebacker Diego Renteria on his feelings about the team’s performance.

Many players agree that this year’s season was tough, however stay motivated that they’ll improve more before next season starts. Many people enjoyed the tough fight against the Lions despite the loss and were met with warm applause from the audience who thoroughly enjoyed the difficult fight.

Many of the audience members stuck throughout the entire game and even stayed to watch the varsity team compete against the Lions’ own varsity team. Morale was high, many staying to buy food and support their team. Piedmont Hills’ special guests of many junior cheerleaders also raised the morale high for the team and audience. Despite the loss, the football team stuck around in high spirits to thank the opposing team.

Overall, the season ended with an estimated win-loss rate of about fifty percent. The team are now hoping to improve their overall record in the future once the next season starts. However, the team will have to enhance their performance as both an individual and as an entire group.

“(We’ll improve) definitely (on) our speed and offensive plays,” informed Renteria on the specifics of where the team’s improvements will be focused on.

The future is unknown, however the team are aiming to reach a desirable future once the next season comes through, knocking on the door.

Their strong desire to lead the league with a better performance will be shown next season. Once next season rolls into the season, please go out and support the team!

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Wrestling Team starting to rumble

By Andrew Wong and Rex Ly

 

Winter season is approaching soon and the wrestling team is back with a fresh new start. With returning members and new recruits joining the team, Coach Bacillo Monterroso ensures that he prepares every team member with strong training from the basics until the members in the wrestling team are prepared for upcoming matches. Every week, the team meets up during Tuesdays through Thursdays. Generally, the team starts practice at 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and each day of practice is about two hours long.

“I was interested in joining and I wanted to know what wrestling was like. I want to be able to wrestle properly because I know I’m not ready for actual matches yet, but I’m expected to be a little experienced at wrestling,” stated junior Alan Nguyen.

The training is expected to last until February so that every single member of their team can prepare for their first competitive match. The team are preparing to compete against Fremont, Silver Creek and any other high school in the East Side Union District.

However on such occasions for practices, team members can participate in events called the Duel Week which is another term for a team scoring system. During duel week, team members and other teams from different schools compete in skirmishes. When a wrestler wins not only does the wrestler score, but it goes to the entire team however the points awarded are dependent on the conditions, unlike other sports such as boxing and golf.

“Our future plans for the Piedmont Pirates is to get back into the A league. We started off as that in the A league, as the highest competition 3 years ago, and we’re escalating now this season to get back up there. We have a few big tournaments coming up as well as dual meets. The tournaments that we’re shooting for are around January 7th and 14th. We want to win all of our home matches to show some good techniques, so we’re strengthening and conditioning in techniques and adding everything into the game plan,” said Coach Monterroso.

Not only team members can participate, but everyone is welcomed by the team to participate and join the club. If you’re ever interested in the sport of wrestling, consider joining the wrestling team. Even if you have no experience at all the PHHS team welcomes anyone who may want to join.

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Cross Country is one hill of a sport

By Terry Tang

 

Senior Samantha Tran and sophomore Tyanne Tran are sisters who ran in BVAL (Blossom Valley Athletic League) and are qualified for CCS (Central Coast Section) Cross Country Championship.

S.Tran had been doing cross country since middle school while her sister also joined in middle school to compete with her sister.

“I choose to join cross country because when I was in middle school, I watched my sister run XC and I wanted to be as fast as her and I also wanted t push myself to see what I’m capable of accomplishing!” said T.Tran

“I think this year was a rough season for the team because we didn’t have summer conditioning. It was pretty tough getting back in shape for most of us and adjusting to different workouts with new coaches and all,” said S. Tran

Cross country usually have conditioning in the summer, but this year started on the second day of school. This is the first year that they have not made CCS. Despite not making CCS the team has still managed to maintain their spot in the A-League. The team usually run two miles every day to build up their strength and stamina to prepare themselves for the cross country meets.

“I think our team put our hearts out into the courses and we really did the best we can give the circumstances of not having summer conditioning,” said T. Tran.

“I was surprised that my sister and I made (it into) CCS because competition was really though this season,” said S. Tran.

Cross country meets are usually held at Montgomery Hill. T. Tran’s time was 20:48 with her older sister S. Tran following close behind with a 21:01.

Some of the schools that competed in BVAL included Westmont and Independence. Piedmont Hills is one of the top teams as they are in the A-League.

“We run different distances every day because we usually want to work on different areas to improve our running. An example of this can be like a long run can help improve our endurance while a short run will help improve our speed.” stated varsity cross country runner Alex Sen

This year’s CCS has been delayed two times due to the poor air quality and has been set to Sat. Nov. 17.

Coach Tan Nguyen and Coach Elisa Bryant have experience in running with not only just cross country, but also with track and field, weight training and dieting. They have degrees like kinesiology to help their players and also work out isolation practices in case a player gets injured. Assistant Coach Brandon Nguyen himself is working towards a Kinesiology degree which can help him in future careers like a personal trainer or full time coach.

“The coaches really believe in our abilities and they motivate all of us to push ourselves through our mental barriers. They help build strong team bonds to make us feel more confident as a team. I appreciate them for everything,” said S. Tran.

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Dangers and myths of Halloween

By Justin Wang and Devonna Dang

Stories and warnings of fear for such tampering surged in the late 20th century. However, the general consensus now is that such warnings are generally unfounded upon further reflection and study.

One such misidentification occured right here in San Jose. It was Halloween of 1996 when seven-year-old Ferdinan Siquig collapsed while trick-or-treating. Initial blood and urine sample tests led police to suspected that the culprit was cocaine laced within his Halloween candy.

However, later analysis did not find signs of the cocaine. Despite this, the story was already reported on before the later analysis was conducted. It’s easy to see how stories like these may propagate.

It is important to note, however, that while no death has been attributed to random acts of candy terror; there were two reported cases of death due to the fault of family members.

One was an accident in which a child mistook heroin for candy, and the other was a murder plotted by the child’s uncle for insurance money.

While both are tragic cases, no death has been attributed to candy from strangers and many reported cases of tampering end up being pranks by the child themselves.

Although Halloween candy poisonings exist in the realm of urban myth, tampered trick-or-treat candy have been documented. These cases constitute a different level of tampering than poisoning: it’s an attempt to kill whereas a pin in your candy is an attempt to scare or injure. About eighty cases of sharp objects in food incidents have been reported since 1959, and almost all were hoaxes. Only about ten culminated in even minor injury, and in the worst case, a woman required a few stitches.

Comparatively, a larger danger of Halloween is a kidnapping or abduction. “Freshmen year Halloween, my friends and I went trick-or-treating in this trailer park neighborhood… while we were walking in the more vacant part of the neighborhood my friends told me there was this guy wearing a clown mask and was stalking us,” says junior Kailyn Nguyen.

Car accidents are largely overlooked on Halloween. Because Halloween takes place at night, darkness impairs vision. It should be noted that if you decide to trick-or-treat, make sure that you can be seen at night. If the situation is that you are behind the steering wheel, keep in mind the hyperactive children possibly running around in the nighttime.

A gleaming light in the night time, lanterns, a component to the festivities of Halloween but also a fire hazard. The potential harm of fire could be alleviated by wearing costumes that are made up of one material. The more flimsy and thin your material constitutes, the more likely it is to catch on fire. Different materials react differently to one another, and depending on the materials, the costume could burn faster. ◆

 

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Origins of Halloween

By Mansi Patel

“Ding dong!” goes the bell over and over during the famous celebration of Halloween. Kids dressed up in costumes asking for candy is actually a relatively new idea, considering that the original Halloween tradition started about 2,000 years ago. Many people celebrate Halloween without truly understanding where it really originated from and why.

Halloween originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, whose people would wear costumes to ward off ghosts. The Celts lived 2,000 years ago in what is now known as Ireland, the United Kingdom and Northern France. They celebrated their New Year on Nov. 1, and celebrated the now known tradition of Halloween on Oct. 31.

The day of Halloween was given its name, All Hallows Eve, by the Celts. The Celts believed the unearthly spirits would damage crops, therefore, they would dress up in costumes to ward those unwanted spirits away. They also believed that the presence of the spirits allowed the Druids, also known as the Celtic priests, to look into the future during this special night. These predictions were very important to the Celtics because of their strong belief of prophecies and what will be coming in the future.

In the second half of the 19th century, many immigrants who were affected by the Irish Potato Famine fled to the United States, and brought with them the celebration of Halloween. There are many superstitions that come with Halloween, such as black cats, witches, ghouls, pumpkins and more. In the late 1800s, Halloween became more about getting together with the community instead of ghosts, pranks and witchcraft.

At the turn of the century, Halloween became more about games, foods that represented Halloween, festive costumes and having a day dedicated to fun and candy. Right now, high school students go out on Halloween night to visit haunted mansions, spend time with friends goofing around and to get some candy to last the rest of the year.

Though many children trick-or-treat on Halloween starting from elementary school or earlier, we must not forget the origins of this tradition that started as a day to rid one’s life and community of trouble and fear. ◆

 

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Commercialism of Halloween

By Henry Zheng

Halloween was once reserved for the nobility and the rich. Now, it is accessible to everyone, all thanks to commercialism.

What was once candy and treats for the rare wealthy is now a common handout during the holidays, along with spooky costumes and extravagant decorations.

Although the average Halloween advocate has benefitted from commercialism, the few who truly benefit from these holidays are the large companies and corporations who have found the Halloween market to be highly profitable.

With money on companies’ minds as the Halloween season gets closer, these large corporations take advantage of such a holiday, knowing consumers are willing to spend unreasonable amounts of money in the name of festivity.

And they’re right. Unbothered by costs, many of us often spend unreasonable amounts of money during the spooky holidays without thinking twice.

An article on wearetop10.com stated that on average, Americans nationwide spend over $9 billion just on Halloween, and with our over-the-top spirited population, it doesn’t look like this number is going down anytime soon.

Year after year, the American public endorses this spirit of celebrating the dead and collecting candy from strangers, establishing this holiday to be a true American tradition.

And who’s to say this spending is bad? Despite the hefty costs of candy and costumes, the true heart of Halloween, the spirit and fun of going out and trick-or-treating or giving out candy, negates many negative aspects of spending, and if anything, spending also provides some incentives to go out and have fun.

“I think it’s a good way to bond with your family and friends in a fun and festive way (as) giving out candy brings up the spirit of other trick-or-treaters,” says senior Jason Damasco.

Yet, at the same time, it is important to not be overrun by commercialism in times of mere spirited fun. People who have no costumes while trick-or-treating are often scrutinized by parents and given less candy. Similarly, neighbors compare each other’s houses and shame those that aren’t decorated.

Along with this, many naughty kids, dressed up in their costumes, often become enraged when houses don’t respond to trick-or-treaters or if members in the house are already sleeping.

So the next time you trick-or-treat, it is indeed important to have fun, but also keep in mind that Halloween is something for everyone to enjoy. ◆

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Costume ideas

By Rose Lu

It’s already less than a week before Halloween and you still have no idea what  costume to wear. Don’t fret! The Legend  has your back. Here are some simple, last-minute Halloween costume ideas that can come in handy for you.

A Ghost

All you need is a bedsheet and some scissors. Don’t try this at school though, because full-body costumes are not allowed.

Rosie the Reveter

Male or female, all could be a reveter! All you need are denim jeans, a denim jacket, and a bandana. You also need some rough and tough arms.

Identity Theft

For this simple costume, all you need are post-it notes with some names written on them. Stick them all over your body and now you have many identities.

Chip on the Shoulder

Stick a small bags of chips on your shoulder, then you are done.

Self Portrait

All you need is a picture frame to carry around school!

Dominos (Preferably with friends)

All you need are some solid colored t-shirts, tape and construction paper! Pick a number applicable to the domino numbers and just tape it onto your shirt!

Self Absorbed

Are you self-absorbed? Then you should get some sponges to tape all over your body.

Error Code

Think normal costumes are lame? That’s fine! Just wear an error code costume, all you need is a message saying “costume not found.”

Facebook

All you need is a marker to write “book” on your face.

Fruits

Pick a fruit you like and find a solid colored shirt pertaining to your fruit. Then, make some seeds out of paper and voila! This would also be a cute idea with a group of friends, with one being a tree.

Emojis

Remember what the teachers did two years ago? Dress up as an emoji, you can either tape it on your shirt, hang it around your neck or dress up as it.

If you don’t like these ideas, here are some guidelines to help you find your perfect costume. First, pick a theme and then pick something specific from the theme. Then get creative and go make it and wear it! Make sure you get creative, but most importantly be safe! Happy Halloween! ◆

 

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Traditions of the dead

By Janelle Perez

Costumes, candies and spooks is not what Day of the Dead is about. Day of the Dead, or Dia de Los Muertos, is oftentimes confused with Halloween. Although Day of the Dead starts on Halloween, the former holiday is about celebrating life.

Day of the Dead originates from Mexico. The Aztecs used this day to honor their queen of the underworld through a big festival in their community. Current day celebrations primarily take place in Mexico and are celebrated from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 all over the world.

People who celebrate the holiday are typically those who wish to honor their loved ones who have passed. Day of the Dead is about honoring the life that the dead once lived, not to mourn the loss of their loved ones. However, the holiday is not for everyone. It varies from what a person’s beliefs are to what a person may feel is honorable and respectful.

A traditional Day of the Dead celebration includes an altar with pictures and ofrendas (offerings), marigolds to guide the spirits home and a sugar skulls used to decorate the altar. An altar can either be small or big. Smaller altars are oftentimes seen in places where the holiday is not as big, like in the United States.

In Mexico, people gather together a couple of days before the celebration and head over to the graves of their loved ones. They spend their time sweeping their areas and decorating with bright papel picado and ceramic skulls decorated with intricate designs.

A simple altar can include pictures of the loved ones being celebrated and the infamous pan de muerto, which quite literally translates to bread of the dead. Pan de muerto represents the bones of the dead in a delicious way. The preparation of the decorations and food all leads up to the final celebration day.

The big celebration day is held on Nov. 2. At this point, altars and decorations have been up for two days and every celebrator has been anticipating the final day. In Mexico it is accustomed to throw a big party at the graveyard with music and food. It is said that the spirits travel to Earth on this day and celebrate with their families, which is why marigolds are used as a way to guide them down to the graveyards. During the celebration, people tell stories and remember happy times spent with those who are no longer with them.

On Day of the Dead, life is celebrated through bright traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. ◆

 

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The last home game of the season

By Francisca Pascua

Bam! Volleyball player Liana Annable smashed the ball to the ground, creating a loud thump. The other team retaliated. The varsity volleyball team had an intense match against Westmont this Monday but fell short on Senior Night at home with a score of 3-0.

With a current record of 3-10 in the league, PHHS Girls’ Volleyball struggled to win most of their games throughout the season.

In the third game, prior to the last home game, players went head to head with Branham, in which they suffered a 3-0 loss. The first set resulted in a score of 25-19, the second half the teams reached a score of 25-8 and the third set was 27-25. Despite the tragic loss, everyone remained optimistic and motivated.

“Our last game against Branham was probably the best game we played all season. Even though we lost, our team really came together and fought for every single point,” cheered senior Kaitlyn Seawright.

During the course of the season, the team lost one valuable setter from an ankle injury that may have altered the atmosphere of the games.

“I was a setter so it may have been difficult to adjust but we had two other setters that were able to play. So, maybe at the beginning it seemed different but overall I don’t think our team was affected,” claimed senior Emily Pereira.

The varsity team pondered about how to approach future games with a more positive demeanor.

“We could improve on staying positive even when the other team is doing well. We are just going to focus on having fun and working together as a team,” admitted Pereira as she reflected on what she has observed on performances.

Regardless of the multiple defeats, the players did not let this stop them from spiking back. They continued to prepare and work hard while keeping their minds concentrated on winning.

In their previous encounter with Prospect High school, PHHS Volleyball celebrated with a victorious triumph by leading 3 -2 .

“We prepared with another tournament over the weekend and just had pep talks. Our practices are usually [kind of] intense, but fun at the same time. Our team is really close and we pretty much make anything fun when we are together,” explained Seawright.

PHHS Varsity Volleyball Team are just one game away from ending their BVAL (Blossom Valley Athletics League) Season. With positive attitude, the volleyball team strives to win their final game at Evergreen Valley this Wednesday at 6 p.m. ◆